Patriots' Bill Belichick On Tom Brady's Retirement: 'Best Player in NFL History'

After Tom Brady's retirement from the NFL on Tuesday, his longtime coach Bill Belichick released a statement on Wednesday with some high praise for his former quarterback.

"I am privileged to have drafted and coached Tom Brady, the ultimate competitor and winner," Belichick said. "Tom's humble beginning in professional football ultimately ended with him becoming the best player in NFL history."

The 44-year-old Brady made his retirement official in an Instagram post, writing, "I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore. I have loved my NFL career, and now it is time to focus my time and energy on other things that require my attention."

In 22 seasons, Brady won seven Super Bowl titles, the most by a single player in NFL history. He was named Super Bowl MVP five times. Belichick coached Brady with the Patriots for the first 20 seasons of his career and six championships.

Brady left New England in free agency in 2020 and joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He led the Buccaneers to their second Super Bowl victory in his first year and the team's fourth NFC South championship this season. Tampa Bay fell to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Divisional Round in this year's playoffs.

Brady's stellar career includes a slew of NFL records. He holds the marks for most touchdown passes (624), most passing yards (84,250), most regular-season wins (243) and most playoff wins in NFL history (35).

There was some uproar over Brady not mentioning the Patriots or Belichick in his retirement announcement. He took to Twitter afterward and thanked "Patriot Nation."